Nigeria emerges Africa’s most spammed country as fraud calls hit 51%

Nigeria has emerged as Africa’s most spammed country.  New data from Truecaller shows that in 2025, 51 per cent of all unknown calls received by users in the country were identified as spam or fraud.

This means more than one in every two unfamiliar calls is likely unwanted or potentially malicious.

The latest Spam and Fraud Report highlighted how unsolicited and deceptive calls are increasingly shaping mobile communication patterns across major markets.

The finding places Nigeria 8th globally and firmly at the top of Africa’s ranking, ahead of South Africa (30 per cent), Kenya (about 15 per cent), Ghana (around 11 per cent), and Ethiopia (roughly 9 per cent).

Indonesia leads the world with 79 per cent of unknown calls flagged as spam in 2025, followed by Chile at 70 per cent, a sharp increase from 51 per cent in just six months. Vietnam, Brazil, and India complete the top five most spammed countries globally. In several parts of South America and Southeast Asia, automated systems now generate more than 70 per cent of unknown calls.

What sets Nigeria apart is not just the volume of spam, but its composition.

The report said, “In many countries, spam is driven largely by financial impersonation scams or aggressive debt collection. In Nigeria, however, telecom and operator-related outreach dominates the landscape, accounting for 35 per cent of all spam calls, the highest concentration of any African market in the report. This is followed by telemarketing and sales calls at 10 per cent, while outright scam attempts make up 6 per cent.”

This structure creates a particularly confusing environment for users. When a significant share of unsolicited calls appears to come from telecom-related services or agents, it becomes difficult to distinguish between legitimate network updates, marketing campaigns, and fraudulent attempts.

The overlap effectively blurs the boundary between official communication and deception, increasing the likelihood that users either engage with suspicious calls or ignore important ones.

A similar pattern is seen only in Brazil, where operator-linked outreach also dominates spam activity, suggesting that telecom ecosystems in some large markets may be inadvertently contributing to the problem.